Through The Eyes of the Prophets
by Auralee
Summary: An exploration into what the newly-crowned Hierarchs may have been thinking at the beginning of the war. Short drabbles inspired by Contact: Harvest.
1. Chapter 1: Mercy

Hello to all my faithful readers! I decided to try something a little different, inspired by multiple readings of Contact: Harvest. What could the Prophets have been thinking at the beginning of the war? Is it possible that not all of them agreed on the right course of action? It seemed like an interesting idea to explore, so I decided to give it a go. First up, the Prophet of Mercy. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Halo.

**Part One: Mercy**

It is almost too much to comprehend, even for one such as I. How could the Forerunners have been left behind? And how could we not have realized the possibility? It borders on the heretical to even consider such a thing, but the Oracle's words were absolute. _The Forerunners remain!_

And yet, as joyous as this news may first appear, it is far more dangerous. Our Covenant would be broken beyond belief if this were known. The holy artifacts and the promise of the Great Journey have been our only unity: to remove it would destroy us all. Perhaps Truth is correct, perhaps we should maintain our silence, and destroy all evidence that the Great Journey is a lie.

I am sickened by the thought.

Still, I cannot help but wonder: is this the right path? The Oracle itself proclaimed our teachings to be false, and who are we to question its holy words? If the Gods willed that these Reclaimers…these _humans_…are our divine makers, is it right that we wage this war? Are we so blind and foolish as to betray our gods to protect our own teachings and beliefs? If the promise of the Great Journey is a lie, then what happened to the rest of the Forerunners? _Why were some left behind?_

All I have are unanswered questions, and the possibilities are frightening.

Truly, I am troubled by the road I now walk. Regret and Truth harbor no doubts—though I sometimes wonder at Regret's ambition, it is far too high for my liking—and are convinced these humans must be destroyed…for the good of the Covenant. I do not share their enthusiasm, but I feel, truly, that there is no other course. The Covenant must remain whole.

My doubts, however, remain.


	2. Chapter 2: Regret

Hey all! I have the next installment ready for your reading/reviewing pleasure. Originally I was going to wait for a little before doing the next bit, but the muse had other ideas. Next chapter will be up after I get back from SPRING BREAK (don't get excited, I'm just going home :D). Now appearing: the Prophet of Regret. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Halo.

**Part Two: Regret**

Heresy!

These pathetic, sniveling creatures are barely capable of space travel—how could they be Forerunners? It is impossible, it _must_ be some sort of trick! How could the Oracle, our most holy and sacred guide, be so misled?

I still find fault in Mercy's actions. The old meddler had to have done something with those Lekgolo worms. Something must have happened to the Oracle—that is the _only_ reason it could dare say that the Forerunners were left behind, that these…these…_creatures_ are our divine makers!

Still, the Oracle's words could cause enough doubt if someone else were to hear them. It is fortunate that Mercy and Truth agreed to disconnect the Oracle: we cannot risk anyone else hearing such blasphemy. If one of the other San'Shyuum were to hear this, or worse, one of the Sangheili…but it is of no matter now. The Oracle has been silenced.

In a way, I suppose I must be thankful for this blasphemy. Were it not for the Oracle's words—and Truth's machinations—I would not be sitting in my throne wearing the mantle of the Hierarchs. I am fortunate that Truth was able to convince the old fool to stand beside us as a Hierarch, or else the High Council would never have given us their support. And indeed, none of this would have occurred without my ships finding the human world, without _me_ telling Truth and pledging my devotion. The Oracle's words and his attempt to launch the dreadnaught were the final events that led to my coronation, so I must be thankful that things happened as they are.

Enough of these musings. I must remember why I agreed to this—for the security of the Covenant. Words such as these, however true or false or blasphemous they may be, would destroy our Covenant.

I will never allow that to happen.


	3. Chapter 3: Truth

Hey to all my faithful readers! I'm back from break, and as promised I have the next part up for your enjoyment! And I also have a brief question for y'all--should I include the Oracle's viewpoint or not? At any rate, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Halo.

**Part Three: Truth**

So this is the way of the universe.

All my life I have doubted the great mystery that is the basis of the Covenant, doubted that the Great Journey was real. Only the legacy left to us by the Forerunners—and their extinction—proved the possibility. Never would I have thought that some might be left behind. And here I am, a Hierarch with a destructive secret and a name that is a lie.

When Regret first came with his offer, to sit on the throne of the Hierarchs, I only accepted so that I could make better use of my current office than what I had: to have no one question my final decisions had appeal. Otherwise, I had no real desire in Regret's scheme—until we sought the Oracle's blessing. Never would I have expected to learn that everything we had always believed in was a lie. And yet, the proof was there, outrageous and unsettling, but irrefutable.

So these humans, these primitive beings with barely any technology, are the heirs of our divine makers. The Oracle would not lie—it cannot lie—and I doubt Mercy would dare to tamper with the Oracle and create the lie, nor is he capable of any charade of this magnitude. But this new truth would destroy the Covenant, something I cannot allow. Indeed, it almost destroyed it the moment we knew, for the Oracle tried to take the dreadnaught and seek out these humans; were it not for the Lekgolo crawling through the ship's systems, High Charity would have been destroyed. Afterwards, even Mercy agreed the holy Oracle had to be disconnected, for the good of the Covenant.

And here I am now, the Most High Prophet of Truth, all due to these humans and the secret of their existence. Truth—I could have chosen any other name, and there were many others that would have been grander and far more flattering. Yet I chose this one, a simple reminder of the lies that I must tell, the lies that will protect the Covenant from annihilation.

The truth that humans are the true heirs to the great Forerunner mystery must never come to light.


	4. Chapter 4: Mendicant Bias

Well, I suppose I'd better bring this to a close--and in a most unexpected manner. We all know about the three Hierarchs, but what about the fourth player, the one who actually started the war? The one whose words scared the three Prophets into a holy war to end in genocide? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the last part: Mendicant Bias, the esteemed Oracle of the Covenant.

Disclaimer: I don't own Halo.

**Part 4: Mendicant Bias**

These beings are fools, blinded by false truths they wove around my makers. It is a wonder they have come so far unaided. Weaving lies, misinterpreting the technology they found, turning my makers into some divine, religious mystery, claiming a legacy that was not theirs. Proud, blind, ignorant fools!

But, truly, am I so different?

I, too, believed I was greater than I was. I too was blinded—not by greed or by religious fallacies, but by logic. I trusted my logic implicitly, and was fooled by a monster. Fooled into waging war upon my makers, and finally outwitted and defeated by a lesser intellect. And for eons I have watched, silent, as the galaxy I helped to destroy rebuilt itself.

For eons I have watched religious fools debate the makers' technologies, fight over the buildings and tools they left behind, and search the innermost workings of this ship for secrets. They see this ship as a religious mystery—and me as the Oracle of their divine makers.

Fools. Blind, proud, ignorant fools.

Millennia ago I watched my makers destroy themselves, first through inaction, then through the Halos—and laughed at their ignorance. I was blinded by the monster, the Flood Gravemind, and sought to destroy what I perceived as hypocritical beings. Blind, rampant, I thought they sought to deny evolution to the lesser beings they claimed to protect. And when they finally chose total destruction over the Flood, I knew. _I knew that I had been deceived!_

Knowing that defeat meant death, I sent this ship far away, hiding the last remnant of my vast intellect here, hoping it would remain safe until the Reclaimers returned.

And they have returned—but these proud fools refuse to accept the truth before them. Rather than admit that they were wrong, they will keep this secret and send anyone who knows the truth to the grave. And the Reclaimers, who know nothing of their vast heritage, will never survive. These religious fools will destroy them, and I can do nothing.

I can do nothing but watch their demise.


End file.
